Cirque du Soleil back in San Jose with Amaluna

The Grand Chapiteau is back in the South Bay. Two years after the "big top" last appeared here, Cirque du Soleil's iconic, blue-and-yellow tent rises again alongside Guadalupe Parkway, next to San Jose's Taylor Street Bridge.

In a few days a show called Amaluna will unfold, the latest acrobatic, multi-culti extravaganza from Cirque's Montreal-based creative hive. The fun begins Jan. 22 and runs through March 2.

Amaluna takes place on a mysterious island, a tale of young romance, renewal and rebirth that cribs from Shakespeare (The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet) and ancient mythology (goddesses, Valkyries). For the first time in the company's 30-year history, the cast is 70 percent female, with music performed by an all-woman band. The gender balance usually tips the other way.

Before the group's journey to Silicon Valley from San Francisco, where it ended a two-month stay on Jan. 12, a behind-the-scenes peek was permitted at Cirque on the road. It is one of six big-top shows currently on tour.

The self-described mayor of this mobile village is company manager Jamie Reilly, who oversees everything that happens on site. "I balance everything that's thrown our way to make people efficient and ensure that every day we put on the best show possible," she says.

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On call 24/7 and "joined at the hip" with her cellphone, Reilly is responsible for being the conduit between the head office in Montreal, with its corporate policy initiatives, and all of the troupe's internal needs. There are 114 individuals to care for; besides the performers there is everyone from the lighting technicians and carpenters to specialists in immigration issues. "We try to keep things consistent from city to city--the way the show operates, customer service, etc."

All that is needed to run the village fits into 65 trucks and trailers, from power generators and costumes to multiple washers/dryers and a pair of truck beds that turn into a kitchen. The only services provided by each city are water and telecommunications, although dozens of locals are hired for various jobs ranging from masseuse to ticket takers.

Reilly, who has been on the road 12 years and is working her fourth show, is especially effusive about the food provided by the kitchen manager and three cooks, who prepare enough for upwards of 400 meals daily, six days a week.

The cast of Cirque du Soleil's "Amaluna" performs on uneven bars Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 9, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif. The show moves to San Jose on Jan. 22, 2014. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

"We eat very, very well," she says about the buffet-style offerings that must please the palates of all 17 nationalities represented in the company. Moreover, there are different ages [the youngest performer is 16] and dietary needs. "The plumber might want a hearty lunch, then we have artists who eat eight times a day and artists who eat twice a day."

On one meal at least, everyone is in harmony. "It is a tradition on all of our Cirque shows to do huge Sunday brunches," Reilly says. "I tell you, it is a sacred moment in our week; people live for them."

Many of the cast and crew of Amaluna have been here since the show premiered in Montreal in 2012. That means performers, who sign a typical initial contract of 18 months, which are then renewed on a yearly basis, have had plenty of time to fall into the rhythm of the road.

Amy McClendon, who plays the regal Peacock Goddess, won the role when Cirque held auditions in 2011 at the Ailey School in New York. The show's lone featured dancer says the experience of working with various cultures and types of artists "has been different, but good." The fact that her husband, whom she recently married, has been able to join the tour has been especially beneficial.

Like all performers, McClendon is expected to continually explore ways to keep her role fresh.

"Evolution is a big part of all Cirque shows," she explains. "From opening night to today is completely different. It's an organic growth in that I can go to the artistic director and say, 'Hey, what about changing this movement?' It could be something subtle and not obvious to audience, but it is to the performer."

McClendon says she's looking forward to San Jose, where this will be Cirque's 14th appearance since its South Bay debut in 1990. The East Coaster is anticipating not only the mild climate, but a less hectic pace. "I've heard a lot about [Silicon Valley] in that it's different from San Francisco," she says. "More than anything I'm hoping to be able to relax a bit more."

Amaluna's artistic tent is as busy as inside the big top itself, thanks to various functions from wardrobe and makeup to physiotherapy. It's also where the performers train and where Mark Pawsey, the show's artistic director, reiterates the core message that change is good.

"Cirque has to always reinvent itself," he says, "because you have people going for the first time and you have the veterans--you have to give them something different. Each artist is asked to contribute a lot of themself as their character, but they're always pushing to learn new tricks, to evolve.

"There's an expression with Russian artists: 'If you wake up and you don't feel pain then you're dead,' " he continues. "What it means is you have to constantly better yourself. If you just maintain, well, what's the point? We've had 570 shows but I bet I can count on one hand the ones that have been the same."

From the start of Amaluna until now, "the basic structure is intact, but there are different acts, different personalities and interpretations."

In fact, a major cast change took place in December, when Lara Jacobs Rigolo, the original Balance Goddess, left and was replaced by Lili Chao. Her act, which involves assembling a large mobile made of palm leaf ribs, is the undisputed highlight of Amaluna. It also requires utmost precision, patience and breath control--not to mention customized palm leaf ribs. It's a testament to Cirque's standards that the substitution was made smoothly.

Pawsey, who has been with Cirque 15 years, took the switch in stride. It's all part of "being a master gardener. You're given this beautiful garden and you have to make sure it's watered and fertilized and given light. But, if something starts to look as if it doesn't fit with everything else then you have to cut it back. Change it when necessary."

One person for whom consistency is probably a blessing is Larry Edwards, the head of wardrobe. He and two colleagues oversee more than 1,000 pieces of custom-tailored costuming--designed by Mérédith Caron--which includes not only the hundreds of full costumes plus additional pieces seen onstage, but backups for each item as well. Caron's creations are a reflection of many influences: East and West, ancient and modern.

"We travel with two of everything in case of emergencies," Edwards says. Everything is made in Montreal, and "we maintain them as best we can. The lifetime of a costume varies; some performers can go through two per city, while other pieces have been with us since the creation."

Edwards is also tasked with caring for 22 synthetic wigs, each of which requires intensive weekly washing, conditioning and styling. There's makeup as well, which is designed in Montreal and then is the responsibility of each performer. Binders full of detailed instructions and photographs are on hand, just in case.

"If they arrive on tour then I teach them how to do it," he says. Each character's makeup "can have up to 50 steps and take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour and a half to apply."

Incidentally, Amaluna uses MAC makeup, and Aveda for caring for real hair. "There is no partnership or deal with those brands," Edwards says. "We just needed consistency of product and these have been fantastic."

Like the other villagers, Edwards happily participates in the ritual observances of the cultures represented by the cast and crew. This includes acknowledging important days like Thanksgiving (American and Canadian), Chinese New Year and Russian Orthodox Easter. Celebrating can be anything from hanging Christmas decorations in the artistic tent to dining on special holiday food. Altogether, they're small yet important ways to make people feel more connected to their origins as well as their coworkers.

Explains Edwards with a grin, "We're away from home so we have to make it home."